Lobster Industry Ensnared in North Atlantic Right Whale Deaths

Last year was not a good one for the North Atlantic right whale. Seventeen of them were discovered to have died, about 4 percent of a total population of 455. Numbers have been low for decades—the species was declared endangered in 1973—but if the current trend continues, the North Atlantic right whale, one of the most endangered marine mammals in the world, could go extinct by 2040. In response, the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, and the American Humane Society are suing the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Fisheries, and the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). According to the complaint filed on January 18, entanglements from lobster trap lines and other commercial fishing gear unduly jeopardize the dwindling whale populations and breach the species’ right to protection under the Endangere...